{"id":1175,"date":"2024-04-12T09:25:08","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T09:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland\/?p=1175"},"modified":"2024-04-12T09:25:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T09:25:08","slug":"dining-out-at-the-kings-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/food-and-drink\/dining-out-at-the-kings-arms\/04-2024","title":{"rendered":"Dining Out at The King’s Arms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What do you get if you combine a quintessentially \u2018Rutland\u2019 pub, with a chef determined to make the most of every single dish, and a fondness for game? The answer, it seems, is 20 years of success. This month sees the 20th anniversary of James & Kate Goss\u2019s tenure at their 17th century country restaurant, The King\u2019s Arms, a rather spectacular place to dine!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flavour, flavour and flavour. In that order, those are the three qualities that James \u2018Jimmy\u2019 Goss says he looks to impart into any new dish that he introduces onto the menu at The King\u2019s Arms in Wing. Not a single opportunity to make the most of an ingredient is forsaken, and no labour is too much effort when it comes to creating dishes that beautifully reflect the countryside surrounding the 17th century pub restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an approach to chefcraft which is labour intensive but enables a compromise-proof dining experience, one that has ensured The King\u2019s Arms has remained one of Rutland\u2019s best restaurants for 20 years… exactly 20 years in fact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 11th May 2004 David Goss, his wife Gisa, and their son James purchased The King\u2019s Arms from equally gifted Rutland publican Jason Allen, who had looked after the building very well indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David has gone from working behind the bar to behind the scenes, whilst Jimmy has capitalised on his experience working around Europe to create menus that focus on quality and seasonality, making the most of the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jimmy developed a love of foraging and farmhouse cooking from his grandmother then worked in his uncle\u2019s restaurant before embarking on a one year stint working as a ski-season chef \u2013 which overran by about, oooh, six years \u2013  followed by a stint in Denmark, working at Michelin-star kitchens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underwriting Jimmy\u2019s dishes is his belief in a \u2018field to fork, nose to tail\u2019 approach. The chef works alongside Andy, who has been with him in the kitchen for 11 years, and Josh who joined the two at the age of 16 and is now 21. That retention of talent over many years ensures consistency in the dishes that the team creates \u2013 which is great for diners \u2013 but also allows Jimmy to impart a range of more advanced kitchen skills, employing them throughout his menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the team values provenance and favours local producers like Gwilym and Alex Owen at Launde Lamb, Grasmere Farm for pork, a couple of local suppliers of 30-day aged beef, plus game from local shoots and estates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter is a particular speciality of The King\u2019s Arms, and whilst game is more typically associated with the cooler months, Jimmy also has a dedicated smokehouse, adjacent to the restaurant allowing him to produce hot and cold smoked meat, from venison sausages to a range of charcuterie which can still be enjoyed throughout the summer months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything but everything is produced in house; Jimmy and the team make their own bread, produce ice creams and sorbets in house, and even have a range of homemade tipples on a chalk board adjacent to the bar; elderflower vodka, raspberry gin and pub orchard pear schnapps are all created with fruit steeped in house. So is the redcurrant vodka which, Kate advises with a degree of caution, is \u2018lethal…\u2019 but not when consumed in sensible quantities, I\u2019m sure. I was driving during my visit, so I can\u2019t attest to the strength of those spirits, nor did I enjoy local ales like Grainstore\u2019s Osprey or any of the very well-curated (by David) wines available from \u00a325 a bottle, up to about \u00a350.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can, however, confirm that even tea and coffee is local, sourced from roastery Lee & Fletcher, about an hour away from The King\u2019s Arms. The company has been supplying the restaurant for a number of years and like a few of Jimmy & Kate\u2019s other suppliers, they\u2019ve become friends as well as fellow food and drink aficionados.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we were putting the camera away during our visit, the roastery\u2019s owners Jim and Katharine Fletcher were just checking in to one of The King\u2019s Arm\u2019s eight nicely presented letting rooms for a rest, prior to enjoying supper that evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve become really good friends,\u201d says Jimmy. \u201cWe\u2019re really lucky that we\u2019ve a community around us that gets what we\u2019re trying to do. We believe greatly in seasonality, in using the best ingredients, and investing time and effort in what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur approach has come back into fashion, but it\u2019s just what we\u2019ve been doing for years; refusing to waste opportunities to impart flavour or make the most of what\u2019s growing around us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cButchering our own meat in house means we\u2019re able to vouch for the quality of our ingredients and produce everything from our own sausages and charcuterie right down some really good stocks, but also give our customers an authentic, fairly-priced dining experience because we don\u2019t waste anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The King\u2019s Arms\u2019 diners aren\u2019t the only ones who recognise the quality and authenticity of the restaurant\u2019s dishes either. The place was awarded a rosette by the AA for its dining in 2005, then a second rosette a year later and it has retained them ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition The Good Food Awards, The Countryside Alliance and Guns on Pegs have all recognised the quality of The King\u2019s Arms\u2019s dining and its accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019re proud of, certainly, but the real measure of success for us is how satisfied our diners are,\u201d say Jimmy and Kate. \u201cWe\u2019re pleased with the lovely feedback we get from people who dine with us. One recent comment was from a customer who hadn\u2019t been back for a few months but commented that they shouldn\u2019t have left it so long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey also commented on the consistency of the experience which means a great deal to us, as it\u2019s a reflection on the fact that we keep the same team members and all work hard together to achieve the same goal of ensuring our customers have a wonderful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a family business, but also a family in the broader sense too, with a really great team, some wonderful suppliers and some fantastic regulars. That\u2019s why the past 20 years have flown by and why we can\u2019t wait for the next 20!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the Menu: The King’s Arms, Wing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Courses<\/strong>
Confit grey squirrel legs, smoked bacon, peas, truffled custard, hen of the woods, \u00a311.
Pub cold-smoked wood pigeon breasts, pub black pudding, onion jam, chicory & game chips, \u00a312.
Rutland kedgeree, lightly spiced rice, pub hot smoked trout, trout roe, garden peas, toasted almonds & boiled egg, touch of cream, parsley crisps, \u00a310.
Jimmy\u2019s charcuterie, pancetta, lomo, spicy coppa, muntjac bresaola, venison salami\u00a0and pickles, \u00a320.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Main Courses<\/strong>
Roasted cod loin, cavolo nero r\u00f6sti, artichoke, Jimmy\u2019s Parma ham & red wine glace, \u00a325.
Fallow deer saddle, sweet medlar red cabbage, balsamic beets, dauphinoise and port glace, \u00a328.
Braised Launde Farms lamb shank, wild garlic and parsley mash, jus and greens \u00a328.
Herbed red wine venison sausages, red cabbage, mash, greens and chestnut mushroom sauce, \u00a321.
Dry-aged fillet steak, shin croquette, hen of the woods, celeriac puree and thyme fondant, \u00a338.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desserts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pub orchard fruit crumble with cinnamon sorbet & real vanilla custard, \u00a39.
Amaretto brul\u00e9e with pub orchard quince compote and salted almond snap biscuit, \u00a39.
Pub cheese board: 2 cheeses for \u00a38, and \u00a33 per additional cheese. Enjoy the full board alone or share with the table for \u00a326.
NB: This is a sample menu, and featured dishes are subject to availability and change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The King\u2019s Arms, Wing, Rutland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pitch:\u2008<\/strong>The culinary heartbeat of rural Rutland, a 17th Century dining room in the conservation village of Wing with lots of game on the menu and adjacent smokehouse. Home to David, Jimmy & Kate Goss for 20 years.
Kitchen Opening Hours:<\/strong> Closed Monday. Open Tuesday 6pm-8.30pm; Wednesday 6pm-8.30pm; Thursday 12noon-2pm, 6pm-8.30pm; Friday 12noon-2pm, 6pm-9pm; Saturday 12noon-2pm, 5.30pm-9pm; Sunday 12noon-2.30pm.
The King\u2019s Arms, Top Street, Wing, LE15 8SE.\u00a0
Call 01572 737 634 or see www.thekingsarms-wing.co.uk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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